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New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble
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Commissioned Choreographers

Nancy Turano

(NJDTE Artistic Director/Choreographer)

Nancy Turano, Artistic Director is a Director, Master Teacher and Choreographer for Dance, Film, Opera and TV. She received a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase and performed as a principal dancer and with Ballet Hispanico of New York, Buglisi Dance Theatre, Martine Van Hamel’s New Amsterdam Ballet and others. As Artistic Director of the New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble since 1994, Turano has been acknowledged for creating innovative training programs for dancers in the NJ, NYC metro area including; Movement Invention Project® (MIP®) at Baryshnikov Arts Center and New York Live Arts, and MIP2® in NYC. Turano recently secured a new 9,000 sq. ft. dance center for NJDTE in Summit, NJ to expand their pre-professional training program for dancers ages 5-18.

Turano has choreographed 26 new works and commissioned 53 new works for NJDTE. Her choreography has also been presented throughout the US, Mexico, Panama, Israel, Sweden and Germany. Her full-length “Carmen” was filmed for a feature on PBS Channel 13. Her short film “Tango Octogenario” has been featured on PBS Channel 13, at the New Films/New Directors series in Lincoln Center, the Tribeca Film Festival, and other film festivals around the world. She has also choreographed episodes of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Turano is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2017 NJSCA Individual Artist Fellowship for Excellence in Choreography, NJSCA 2012 NJ Governor’s Award, NJSCA 2011 Distinguished Teaching Artist Award, and Outstanding Alumni Award by the Chancellor of SUNY Schools. Turano has been a National panelist (2013-2015) and Chair (2016-2017) for YoungArts in search of U.S. Presidential Scholars for the Arts. Turano has been on the NJPAC Advisory Committee since 2015. A master teacher, Turano has taught at National Ballet of Sweden School, Ballet Hispanico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Aspen Ballet, National Ballet of Panama, Teatro San Martin in Argentina, Bat-Dor in Israel, Vancouver Arts Umbrella, Celine Dion’s “A New Day,” Montclair State University, New York University, Purchase College, and over 30 Universities in the US. Turano was also the Founding Director of the Harkness Youth Ballet at the 92nd St. Y in NYC. Turano has been on the faculty of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program since its inception and with the Pre-Professional Division of Ailey School for 21 years.

Belinda McGuire

Belinda McGuire is an American-Canadian dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Belinda McGuire Dance Projects, based in Brooklyn. Her choreography has been supported by the Bossak/Heilbron Charitable Foundation, Brooklyn Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and presented across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A former student of the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, she completed her formal education at The Juilliard School.

Established in 2007, Belinda McGuire Dance Projects (BMDP) supports the research, development, production, and presentation of international and collaborative multidisciplinary dance performance as a means to stimulate the conscientious capacity of wide-ranging publics through exposure to creative experimentation and artistic excellence. Through BMDP, Belinda has commissioned and performed in world premieres by Kate Alton, Sylvain Émard, Andrea Miller, Sharon Moore, Idan Sharabi, Doug Varone, and Emio Greco | Pieter C. Scholten. In 2013, she was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance in The Heist Project. Additionally, Belinda has performed as a company member for Doug Varone and Dancers, Gallim Dance, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY and The José Limón Dance Company, appearing on stages across Brazil, China, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Thailand, and the United States.

Formal residencies for Belinda McGuire Dance Projects include Centre de Création O Vertigo, Éspace Marie Chouinard, International Choreographic Arts Centre Amsterdam, James Sewell Ballet Company, National Ballet of Canada’s Choreographic Workshop, New Dialect, New York State & Province of Quebec Artist-in-Residence Exchange Program, ODC San Francisco, Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, Springboard Danse Montréal and the Bessie Schönberg Residency at the Yard in Martha’s Vineyard. She has taught and choreographed as a guest artist for Brooklyn Ballet, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal, The Juilliard School, The Limón Institute, Marymount Manhattan College, Canada’s National Ballet School, New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble, Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and State University of New York at Purchase.

 

Elizabeth Koeppen-Kalosieh

Elizabeth Koeppen-Kalosieh, former Associate Artistic Director of Parsons Dance, was born and raised in Virginia Beach, VA, where she began her training with Judith Hatcher and Darlene Kelly. She continued her education at SUNY Purchase where she received her B.F.A. under the instruction of Gayle Young, Larry Clarke, Kevin Wynn, Rosanna Seravalli and Betti-Jane Sills. Teaching credits for The Parsons Dance Company include SUNY Purchase, The Juilliard School, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, The 92nd Street Y, the New Arts Festival, Baltimore School of the Arts, Peridance and Dancespace. Ms. Koeppen has staged works by Mr. Parsons on numerous companies including the Milwaukee Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Repertory Dance Theater, New York City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, Louisville Ballet and Roland Petit’s Ballet National de Marseille. She would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support.  Ms. Koeppen joined The Parsons Dance Company in 1989, and joined the NJDTE modern faculty in 2015.

Bradley Shelver

Bradley Shelver (South Africa) trained at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg and at The Ailey School in New York. He has danced with the Ailey II, Elisa Monte Dance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, The Francesca Harper Project, Limón Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theater (UK) and in projects with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co., Lar Lubovich Dance, The Universal Ballet, Radio City Music Hall,  and in productions with the Mark Morris Dance Group. He currently dances as a principal with the The Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Mr. Shelver is an international touring solo artist and has choreographed works for companies in the USA, Israel, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa and Italy, including; Richmond Ballet, Ailey II, Ballet Austin, Lustig Dance Theater, Compania Rio Danca, New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble, Cape Dance Company, Cedar Lake 2, Sobers & Godley Dance, as well as creating works for the Royal Danish, Royal Swedish Ballet Schools, Joffrey Ballet School, The Ailey School, Boston Conservatory, and Long Island University. 

He is the founder of Bradley Shelver Contemporary Dance Theater. From 2013-2016, he was the Artistic Director of the STEPS Repertory Ensemble and the Production Director for Steps on Broadway. He is currently the Artistic Director of The Brooklyn Dance Festival Company.  Mr Shelver is on the faculty of schools and universities worldwide including ABT/JKO, Limòn Institute, Royal Danish and Royal Swedish Ballet Schools, Ateballeto, Mathew Bourne’s “Adventures in Motion Pictures”, The Ailey School, La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts, Joffrey Ballet School, Bikuratim (Israel), Centro Coregrafico (Brazil) , DAR Jazz Academy (Russia) among others. He is a certified ballet teacher with the ABT National Training Curriculum. He was co-producer and curator for the annual REVERBdance Festival from 2010-2016 and has written a monthly column for Dance Spirit Magazine. His book, “Performance Through the Dance Technique of Lester Horton” is available worldwide.

Christopher Bloom

Christopher Bloom is from Frederick County, VA where he began dancing at the Blue Ridge Studio for the Performing Arts and the Vostrikov Academy of Ballet. Chris graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2012. In 2011, he joined Parsons Dance as an apprentice and continued to perform with the company as a guest artist for two years while also performing with Lydia Johnson Dance, Thang Dao Dance Company, VonUssar DanceWorks, 360° Dance Theatre, and the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Chris joined Ballet Hispanico in 2013 and has performed orignal roles in works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Edgar Zendejas, Miguel Mancillas, Fernando Melo, Michelle Manzanales, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, and Eduardo Vilaro. He has also performed in Nacho Duato’s Jardi Tancat, and as Don Jose in Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s CARMEN.maquia.

Adam Barruch

Adam Barruch_Resized

Adam Barruch began his career as a young actor, performing professionally on Broadway and in film and television, later receiving dance training at LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and Performing Arts and The Juilliard School. As a dancer he has performed the works of Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin, Susan Marshall, Jose Limon, Daniele Dèsnoyers, and was a dancer with Sylvain Émard Danse in Montreal and also worked with The Margie Gillis Dance Foundation. As a choreographer, Adam’s work has been presented at notable venues such as The Joyce Theater, Dance Theater Workshop, City Center, and NYU/ Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, and he has taught technique and repertory at such colleges as Princeton University, The Boston Conservatory, The Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, and New York University. Adam was selected as a participant in the 2011 Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation New Directions Choreography Lab, and his full-length evening solo work, My Name is Adam, was performed at Joe’s Pub commissioned by DanceNOW NYC in 2013. His short-film collaboration with filmmaker Nel Shelby, Folie a Deux, was screened at the Dance On Camera Festival in Lincoln Center in 2012. Adam has created works for companies such as Ailey II, Keigwin + Company, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, River North Dance Chicago, BalletX, Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance, Graham II, GroundWorks Dance Theater and Minnesota Dance Theatre, as well as for dance icons Margie Gillis and Miki Orihara. Adam was the recipient of a 2014 Lotos Foundation Prize in the Arts and Sciences, and in 2015, Adam was the choreographer-in-residence at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara, California as part of the 2015 DANCEworks Residency. Adam was an artist-in-residence at the 92Y Harkness Dance Center in 2016-2017. He is currently working on a new physical theater production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Based in Brooklyn, Adam currently creates and performs work under the epithet of his own company, Anatomiae Occultii.

Elizabeth Roxas

Elizabeth Roxas was born in Manila and became the youngest member of Ballet Philippines.  After receiving scholarships to Joffrey, Graham and The Ailey School, she danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Ohad Naharin and Joyce Trisler Dance Company before joining Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater where she was a principal dancer from 1984-1997.  She was the first Filipina ever to dance with that Company.  The New York Times described her as “a cool, still, lyrical center of the Ailey storm.”  While dancing, Roxas worked with many of the most significant choreographers, including, Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham, Jerome Robbins, Talley Beatty, Lar Lubovitch, John Butler, Ulysses Dove and Judith Jamison.  Roxas performed in the Emmy award-winning PBS specials “Two by Dove” and Judith Jamison’s “A Hymn for Alvin Ailey” among others, and was featured in a 1997 Dance Magazine cover article and named by Avenue Magazine as one of the 500 most influential Asian-Americans.  After leaving Ailey as a dancer, Roxas was asked to perform on Broadway in The King and I as Eliza and went back to concert dancing and made several guest appearances in the United States and abroad as well as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has worked with Anna Deveare Smith at the Graduate School of New York University and was Movement Coordinator for Ms. Smith’s last show “Let Me Down Easy” and has choreographed in regional theaters and off Broadway.  She has taught at Tisch School of the Arts through CAP21 and was guest faculty at Harvard University in 2010.  She is involved on an ongoing basis in restaging ballets of Alvin Ailey works and is an integral part of the Ailey legacy.  At the Ailey School, as part of the faculty, she has taught the Actor’s Studio Class and regularly teaches the Horton Technique.

She is married to Robert Z. Dobrish, a prominent matrimonial attorney in Manhattan.

Loni Landon

Loni Landon is a Dancer, Choreographer, and Movement Consultant based in New York City. In addition to creating dances for her own collective Loni Landon Dance Projects, her work is commissioned by Dance Companies and Film Makers across the country. Born and raised in New York City, Landon received her BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School in 2005. While a student at the NYC High School of Performing Arts, Landon was a NFAA Young Arts Modern Dance Winner. After Juilliard, Landon performed with Aszure Barton and Artists, Ballet Theater Munich, Tanz Munich Theater, and The Metropolitan Opera. Landon is the 2013 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship winner awarded with BODYTRAFFIC. As a sought after choreographer, her work has been commissioned by Keigwin and Company, Whim Whim, LEVY DANCE, The Juilliard School, BODYTRAFFIC, American Dance Institute (for Loni Landon Dance Projects), Northwest Dance Project, Hubbard Street II, Ballet X, Ballet Austin, SUNY Purchase, and Marymount Manhattan College. Her company has performed at The Joyce Theater and Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Series, as well as at Bryant Park and the first annual Beach Sessions in Rockaway Beach. Landon has won numerous awards including 1st Prize Winner of Ballet Austin’s New American Talent Competition, Winner of Northwest Dance Project’s “Pretty Creatives’” Choreography Competition, Winner of the Next Commission from CityDance Ensemble, Finalist in the International Solo Tanz Theater Competition in Stuttgart, Germany, and Finalist in the Hannover International Choreography Competition. Landon was also a participant in the 2012 Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation New Directions Choreography Lab made possible through the generous support of the FordFoundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Other residencies include ITE and the CUNY Dance Initiative. Alongside Gregory Dolbashian, Landon co-founded THE PLAYGROUND, an initiative designed to give emerging choreographers a place to experiment, while allowing professional dancers to participate affordably. The Playground was recognized by Dance Magazine as a 25 To Watch for 2013.

Sidra Bell

Sidra Bell (Artistic Director of Sidra Bell Dance New York), is a Master Lecturer at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia), and was an Adjunct Professor at Ball State University (Indiana) and Barnard College (NYC). She has a degree in History from Yale University and an MFA in Choreography from Purchase College. Ms. Bell has won several awards, including a notable 1st Prize for Choreography at the International Solo-Tanz Festival in Stuttgart, Germany. Her critically acclaimed work has been seen throughout the United States and in Denmark, France, Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey, Germany, China, Canada, Aruba, Korea, Brazil, and Greece. Bell has received many commissions from institutions internationally and has produced over 100 new works. Bell was commissioned as the choreographer for the feature film “TEST” set in San Francisco during the height of the AIDS crisis. The movie was nominated for a 2015 Independent Spirit Award. “TEST” was also awarded two grand jury prizes from the Los Angeles Outfest and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. The film has had many screenings at LGBT festivals worldwide and is enjoying an international theatrical run. She was recently named one of 50 outstanding artists living or working in Westchester County as part of ArtsWestchester’s 50th Anniversary. SBDNY has an extensive educational and mentorship program and works with institutions for dance and theater internationally with a particular emphasis on young artist development.

 

 

 

 

Andrea Miller

Andrea Miller is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, a graduate of The Juilliard School, and former dancer with Ohad Naharin’s Ensemble Batsheva, Cedar Lake, The Limón Dance Company, and Buglisi Dance Theater. In 2006 she established Gallim Dance. Her work has been commissioned and performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Israel. Miller has been selected as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” (January, 2009 Issue). In addition to being the artistic director for Gallim she is also the Associate Choreographer for Noord Nederlandse Dans in Groningen, Holland (2009-2011). Recent commissions include Ballet Hispanico (NY), Ballet Bern (CH), Hubbard Street 2 (IL), The Juilliard School (NY), Zenon Dance Company (MN), Springboard Danse (CANADA), Repertory Dance Theater (UT), Hedwig Dances (IL), Arts Umbrella (CA), among others. She has choreographed for students at The Juilliard School, Alvin Ailey, SUNY Purchase, and New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble. Miller is the recipient of choreographic awards and residencies including the Hubbard Street 2 Choreographic Competition and The Stella Adler Studio of Acting Artist in Residence (MAD AIR), New Haven Ballet AIR, and College at Brockport Company Residency among others. In addition to choreography, Miller teaches dance and movement to actors. NJDTE won the 2010 Dancin’ Downtown at the Joyce Choreography Award with Andrea’s work SNOW.

Cherice Barton

Cherice Barton is a creative force with over 20 years experience in the entertainment and performing arts Industries. An internationally renowned choreographer, director, dancer and actor, Cherice’s extensive background in the conception and production of live events has led her to creatively direct and collaborate on numerous notable projects ranging from Las Vegas Cirque spectacles to intimate music and dance creations including productions by Dragone Entertainment Group, American Ballet Theater, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Wynn Las Vegas, ABRI Agency, Acroback, Zone 3 Productions, Aszure Barton & Artists, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal (BJMDanse) and many more. Ms. Barton is proud to have joined forces with numerous prestigious artists and innovators such as Franco Dragone, Mia Michaels, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Vincent Paterson, Serge Denancourt, Giuliano Peparini, Aszure Barton and Crystal Pite, to name a few. She has most recently joined Julie Taymor, Danny Ezralow, Bono & The Edge as the resident choreographer for Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark, scheduled to open on Broadway in 2010, after returning to New York City from Las Vegas where she was the resident choreographer for the cirque aquatic spectacle, Le Reve, at the Wynn Resort Hotel and Casino. Cherice was also commissioned to create Gesto for NJDTE. Barton continues to tour with the casting department of Dragone Entertainment Group and is frequently asked to conduct master classes, choreograph for and creatively collaborate with such distinguished institutions as The Julliard School, Barnard College at Columbia University, Adelphi College and The Banff Center School of Fine Arts. The eldest of three sisters, all equally powerful forces in the performing arts industry, Cherice’s performance career has spanned over 20 years in over 30 countries including North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia.

Kate Skarpetowska

Kate Skarpetowska started dancing at age 13 in her native city of Warsaw, Poland. Two years later, she was cast in a first-ever Polish musical entitled METRO. Directed and choreographed by Janusz Jozefowicz with music by Janusz Stoklosa, the show was an instant hit at the Dramatic Theater in Warsaw. On April 16th, 1992, the show had its Broadway premiere at The Minskoff Theater where now 15-year-old Skarpetowska was the youngest cast member. After the show closed, Skarpetowska enrolled in the NYC High School of Performing Arts, graduating in 1995, and then went on to study at the prestigious Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. After graduating with a BFA in Dance, she immediately joined Parsons Dance Company, where from 1999 until 2006 she performed lead roles in the company’s repertory, including the iconic Caught. From 2006 until 2008, Skarpetowska was a guest member of The Battleworks Dance Company, founded by her former colleague at Parsons Dance and the present artistic director of The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Robert Battle. In 2007, she was one of two featured dancers during the Glimmerglass Opera Festival, and in 2008 she toured Italy with Why Be Extraordinary If You Can Be Yourself, a show by Daniel Ezralow. In 2009, she co-designed and co-directed Romeo and Juliet for The Gunter Theater in Greenville, SC. Since 2007, she has been working for The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, performing at many reputable venues such as New York City’s City Center, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater. Skarpetowska has also appeared as a guest artist with Buglisi Dance Theater since 2009. She has had the privilege of working as a repetiteur and assistant to the choreographer for Lar Lubovitch, David Parsons and Robert Battle, setting works on AAADT, Introdans, Company C, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, SUNY Purchase, and The Juilliard School. Her own choreography has been performed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater II, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Parsons Dance, Buglisi Dance Theater, Hubbard Street 2, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Big Muddy Dance Company, Patricia Kenny Dance Collection, Ailey/Fordham, Marymount Manhattan College, George Mason University, Ohio University, Kansas University and New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble. Skarpetowska is also a freelance teacher holding workshops throughout the world. She resides in New York City.

Eduardo Vilaro

EduardoEduardo Vilaro, a first generation Cuban-American, began as artistic director of Ballet Hispanico in August of 2009. Mr. Vilaro has been part of the Ballet Hispanico family since 1985. As a dancer with the Ballet Hispanico Company, he performed throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe.

After training throughout New York City in dance institutions such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and the Martha Graham School, Mr. Vilaro received a BFA in dance at Adelphi University under the direction of Norman Walker. In 1999, he received an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College Chicago and was a recipient of their Albert P. Weissman Award. Upon his graduation from Columbia College, Mr. Vilaro founded Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago, a company which served as a springboard for Latino dance throughout the Midwest. Under his ten-year artistic direction, Luna Negra amassed a distinguished repertory of works by Latino choreographers such as Ron De Jesús, Vicente Nebrada, and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano. Mr. Vilaro’s own choreography is devoted to capturing the spiritual, sensual and historical essence of the Latino cultures. He created over 20 ballets for Luna Negra and has received commissions from the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Grant Park Festival, the Lexington Ballet and the Chicago Symphony. He has collaborated with major dance and design artists as well as musicians such as Paquito D’Rivera, Susana Baca, Luciana Souza, and Tiempo Libre. In 2001 he was a recipient of a Ruth Page Award for choreography, and in 2003 he was honored for his choreographic work at Panama’s II International Festival of Ballet. In 2011, Mr. Vilaro premiered Asuka, his first work for Ballet Hispanico, “an unexpected interpretation of [Celia] Cruz’s music…high-energy and colorful” (Chicago Dance Digest).

Mr. Vilaro was an associate professor at the Dance Center of Columbia College and has served on the board of directors of Dance/USA. He has also served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. He was a guest speaker at the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Leaders and the National Association for Latino Arts and Culture, and he continues to speak to the growing need for cultural diversity and dance education.

Fabrice Lamego

Fabrice Lamego joined Elisa Monte Dance 1998 as a dancer and has served as Rehearsal Director and Assistant to the Director for the company. Fabrice has won acclaim for his technical and artistic proficiency and for the energy and sheer joy that infuses his performances. An alumnus of the Alvin Ailey School, which he attended on a French government scholarship, Fabrice also won First Prize in the 1996 National Competition of Dance in Paris. Fabrice has taught dance in New York; New Jersey; Barbados; Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Lyon, France; Paris, France; London, UK; and Guadeloupe French West Indies. Fabrice has danced in Russia, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, France, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Singapore, The Philippines, Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Brazil, London, and through out the United States. Fabrice has created a work for the Elisa Monte Dance Company as well as works for the Ailey School, and his works Requiem and L’Envol are in the NJDTE Repertory. He is currently the director of Pilates Pour Tous Studio.

Iyun Ashani Harrison

From St. Andrew, Jamaica, Iyun Ashani Harrison is the artistic director of Ashani Dances, a Seattle-based dance company founded in the summer of 2011. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Juilliard School and Masters of Fine Arts degree from Hollins University/American Dance Festival. Over the 13 years of his performing career in New York City, he danced with Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet Hispanico of New York, National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, and Ailey II. He has appeared as guest artist with Connecticut Ballet, Buglisi Dance Theatre, and Lubbock Ballet.

Robert Garland

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Robert Garland began his dance training with John Hines at the Philadelphia School for the Performing Arts and the Pennsylvania Ballet. He attended The Juilliard School where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance. Through a four-year scholarship, Garland studied and performed works by noted 20th century choreographers including Anthony Tudor, Paul Taylor, and Jose Limon. During this time he also performed with Ballet Hispanico of New York as a principal dancer. In 1985, he joined Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), working under the tutelage of Founder and Artistic Director Arthur Mitchell. He quickly rose through the ranks to become a Principal Dancer, dancing many roles from the classical and contemporary repertory, including Four Temperaments, Agon, and Serenade (George Balanchine); Fancy Free (Jerome Robbins); Footprints Dressed in Red (Garth Fagan); The River (Alvin Ailey); Signs and Wonders (Alonzo King); and Concerto in F (Billy Wilson). He also was an instructor at the Dance Theatre of Harlem School, well versed in ballet technique, jazz, modern, and composition. In 1995, Mr. Garland was named Dance Theatre of Harlem’s first official Resident Choreographer, choreographing works for the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s repertory. During this time, he also served as the Director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem School. He has collaborated on a work for New York City Ballet’s Diamond Project, with NYCB Principal Dancer Robert LaFosse, in an evening dedicated to Mr. Garland’s mentor, Mr. Arthur Mitchell. He was the first black choreographer to create a work for England’s Royal Ballet. His commercial work has included music videos, commercials and short films, including the children’s television show Sesame Street, a Nike commercial featuring New York Yankee Derek Jeter, the NAACP Image Awards, a short film for designer Donna Karan, and the “Charmin Cha-Cha” for Proctor and Gamble.

Francisco Martinez

Francisco Martinez was a dancer with Compañía Nacional de Danza (Spain) and Ballet Royal de Wallonie (Belgium), performing diverse works including those of Marius Petipa, Michel Fokine, George Balanchine, Jirí Kylián and Nacho Duato. He was rehearsal director for Ballet Hispanico from 1996 to 2000. Martinez has taught throughout the world and currently is on faculty at The Ailey School, Marymount Manhattan College and The Juilliard School as a ballet instructor. He has staged works by Nacho Duato, Hans van Manen and Vicente Nebrada for students of Ballet Hispanico, The Ailey School and The Juilliard School. Martinez’s choreography has been performed by students at Arts Umbrella, Harkness Youth Ballet, The Ailey School, Fordham University, Marymount Manhattan College, Boston Ballet II and San Francisco Ballet’s Trainee Program. He is also on faculty at The School at Jacob’s Pillow.

Stephen Pier

Stephen Pier has achieved a uniquely rich and varied career as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. His credits as a performer include many years with the Jose Limon Company where the New York press hailed him as “…one of the most gifted dancers on the modern dance scene today.” He went on to become a leading soloist with the Hamburg Ballet in Germany, performing the title roles in John Neumeier’s Othello and Saint Matthew’s Passion and creating numerous other major roles during his nine years with the company. As a member of the Royal Danish Ballet for six years, Mr. Pier had the privilege of dancing leading roles in works of Bournonville, Balanchine, MacMillan, and Bejart and of collaborating with many of Europe’s finest contemporary choreographers.

Mr. Pier was invited to teach both the company and the school of the Royal Danish Ballet and served as ballet master for the company from 1992-1996. He has taught on the faculty of the Alvin Ailey School, the Martha Graham Center, Regional Dance America, New York International Ballet Competition and for many notable companies in Europe, America and Asia including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Atlanta Ballet, Bat Dor (Israel), Introdans, Scapino Ballet, Cedar Lake Dance Ensemble and the New National Theater (Tokyo). He was on the faculty of the Juilliard School from 1996 until 2010. His students have danced in companies around the world, including The Royal Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Netherlands Dance Theater, Martha Graham Company, Lar Lubovitch Company, Mark Morris Dance Company, Doug Varone Dancers, Cullberg Ballet, Cedar Lake Ensemble, Alvin Ailey and Bat Sheva.

In 2002, Mr. Pier began PierGroupDance to explore and collaborate with dancers and artists in various art forms. He has created over 30 works for the concert stage, opera, theater, and film. His work has been presented by The Hamburg Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Danish Theater, Royal Danish Opera, Bat Dor, The New National Theater, the Juilliard Dance Ensemble, The Di Capo Opera Company (NYC), Nilas Martins Dance Company, and the Dance on Film Festival at Lincoln Center. He was selected to be part of Jacob’s Pillow Choreographer’s Project in 1998. He co-founded and directed the emerging choreographer’s workshop Danses at the Royal Danish Ballet from 1990 to 1996.

He was the artistic director of Juilliard’s innovative Mentoring Program beginning in 2007, and in September 2008 he began a 3-year tenure as director of Visions and Voices: Altria/ABT Women’s Choreography Project at American Ballet Theater.

Samuel Asher Kunzman

Samuel Asher Kunzman (Tewksbury, NJ), began dancing at the age of 17. After joining the New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble under the direction of Nancy Turano, Samuel went on to receive his BFA in Dance from The Ailey School/Fordham University. There, he performed works by Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe, Lar Lubovitch, Martha Graham, and others. Samuel has danced for the Metropolitan opera, the New York City Opera, the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, and Ballet Hispanico’s BHDos. Samuel joined The Big Muddy Dance Company in 2017 and is currently based in St. Louis, where he is also on the modern faculty at COCA (Center of Creative Arts), directed by Antonio Douthit-Boyd and Kirven Douthit-Boyd. Samuel has presented his choreography nationwide, including noteworthy festivals in the NY/NJ area. He has created works for the Wanderlust Dance Project (Dallas, TX), AROVA Contemporary Ballet (Birmingham, AL), and several works for NJDTE, including choreographing for INKUBATE every year since its inception. Samuel’s dance film, READY (2016), can be viewed online and was a selection for the inaugural LA Dance Shorts Film Festival (2017). www.samuelasherkunzman.com

Shannon Gillen

Shannon GillenShannon Gillen Named among New York’s top 20 artists by Brooklyn Magazine in 2013, Shannon Gillen was championed for her “emotionally compelling” work that “transcends the things it references and achieves a sort of Platonic ideal of intelligent and elevated movement.” During an extensive career as a dancer and choreographer in NYC and Europe, Gillen was a member of the Johannes Wieland Company based at Staatstheater Kassel in Germany; won commissions from Mainfranken Theater Würzburg and the TIF Theater in Kassel; and was selected as a THINK BIG choreographer-in-residence at Staatsoper Hannover. Recent projects since Gillen returned to the U.S. include commissions from New York University’s Second Avenue Dance Company, Purchase Dance Company at SUNY, and Springboard Danse Festival in Montreal; notable festivals and venues where her work has been seen include New York Live Arts, Judson Church, PULSE Fair at Art Basel Miami Beach, Bryant Park Presents, New York City’s River to River Festival, the Joyce Theater, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School and earned her MFA from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Gillen is also dedicated to contemporary dance education and is on faculty at SUNY Purchase College, the Mark Morris Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center, and guest teaches at NYU/Tisch, the Juilliard School, and the Hartt School. Additionally she founded VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY as the new home for her choreographic and educational endeavors, with performances January 28-30 at the Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center in DUMBO, Brooklyn and a contemporary summer intensive planned for August 2016. Visit www.vimvigordance.com to learn more.

Breton Tyner-Bryan

Breton Tyner-Bryan is an American born dancer, choreographer, director, and photographer, as well as a highly sought after teacher. She is the creator of and currently performing in Breton Follies, an evening length cabaret production featured in Dance Magazine. Breton is a commissioned Choreographic Artist in Residence at the Gallatin School of Individualized study NYU Fall 2016. Recently she choreographed the ballet section for the viral Hillary Flash Mob campaigns in NYC/North Carolina, and has directed and choreographed immersive instillations for The Foundry LIC and New York Fashion Week. Film/Television credits include The Knick (Cinemax) Steven Soderbergh, Studio City (VICE Media) Meredith Danluck, Manhattan Love Story (ABC) Celia Rowlson-Hall, TEST (Feature Film) Chris Mason Johnson, Stories from the Microchasm and PICO John Sanborn, along with a variety of independently produced short dance films. Breton has worked with Lorin Lattaro on Waitress(Broadway), the Public Theater’s Odyssey and Twelfth Night for Shakespeare in the Park, and Encore’s God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater. Theater credits include Dorothy Parker, How to Drink like a Lady Hattie Mae Williams, Greta in her own production of Un Tanguito Cualquiera. and numerous roles she has choreographed/performed in for McKittrick Follies of Sleep No More. Concert Dance credits include works by Marius Petipa, Kirk Peterson, Alonzo King, Robert Moses, Pontus Liedberg, Norbert De La Cruz III, Francesca Harper, Kathryn Luckstone, Enzo Celli, many dance theater companies, Hartford Ballet, and Utah Ballet. She holds a BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Utah and received her training at the School of the Hartford Ballet. By invitation she has studied with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Australian Dance Theatre and Sydney Dance Company.

Breton is on faculty at New York University, Broadway Dance Center, Peridance, Sleep No More, Ballet Hispanico, Joffrey Ballet School, and Sidra Bell Dance. She has taught for The Place (London), Dance Base Scotland, San Francisco State University, ODC Dance, LINES Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Center, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Fall For Dance Festival, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, The Edge, and Google.

Choreographic credits include Sonas Denim Commercial, Jewels in the Square presented by Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Brigham Young University, Award winning solo creations for Young Arts Miami, and Woodside Vaulters Equestrian international competitions. As a performer and choreographer her work has been featured in Pointe Magazine, Dance Informa Magazine, Broadway World, Oberon’s Grove, Huffington Post, and the New York Times.

As a photographer her work has been used by many dance companies appearing regularly in Broadwayworld.com, Headlands Center for Dance, San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area Guardian, and San Jose Mercury News. Breton has exhibited her work at Dance Mission, Fivepoints Art House, the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, and as a featured artist at the Goethe Institute San Francisco. She is currently photographing for dance and theater in New York City.

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